Monday, 8 August 2011

I have an idea

A shiny new one apparently.  And it is both exciting and getting me down.


I sometimes wonder when I'm going to get on with it.  You are probably quite bored with me falling around every other week to a different new story.  Every time I am SO super excited about it.  I get my knickers in a knot just thinking about it.  It is new, it is shiny and it is so awesomely super cool.  For a little while at least.  Then it starts petering out and eventually it dies of starvation.  Lovely aint it?

I don't suppose I am the only new writer who experiences this.  And I don't even think it is a bad thing.  For one thing, how terrible would it be to have a new idea and not be excited about it?  Would you ever actually write?  So yes, the excitement of a new idea is paramount.  But what do you do when you get around to the not-so-exciting part?  The part where you have to sit down and plan, or at least think about what you are writing?  The excitement starts to die off.  What then?

I think I might have found the elixer of life for my writing at least.  Don't plan, don't even think.  Just write.  To start with, anyway.  Obviously later you will have to plot, think, measure twice, cut once.  But for now, to start with, I just write.  No thinking "is this a good name?" not even thinking if your setting or story is good.  Right now I'm like "what story?"  Yep.  No story, just writing.

You're probably thinkin why I only now realise this.  But the truth is that I've been so caught up in writing the right story (and that is very important and still very high on the list of priorities) that I forgot to practise writing.  Just writing for the heck of it.  I used to love just stringing together a bunch of words and seeing what comes out the other side.  Somewhere I lost that.

I couldn't get to writing my main work seriously becasue I couldn't remember what it is like to write creatively.  Everything I wrote was ordered and structured "just right" but all in all quite useless.

I love my shiny new idea.  I love it to bits.  It is nonsensical, silly and stupid.  It will probably never be published.  But it keeps me entertained and somewhat sane.

Do you write something silly or off topic sometimes?  Or do you focus on your main WiP and keep going at it?  How do you keep focus?
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7 comments:

  1. Krista8 August 2011 at 17:33

    I try to focus on my WIP, but I take time out to write little pieces of flash fiction now and then. Helps to write something off topic every once in a while.

    Here are some of the things I do to keep my interest in a project:
    1. Don't tell anyone the plot of your story (at least not the whole thing!) Why? Because then there is no mystery. I do have one person (my DH) that I bounce ideas off of. But no one else.

    2. I don't jump off on a new idea right away. I let it stew. Setting a deadline of when I can go back to it helps. If the idea stands the test of time and is still exciting when I get back to it - I am sure it will hold my attention long enough to finish it.

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  2. Theresa9 August 2011 at 08:54

    Hi Krista! Thanks for the great advice. This is really great to keep in mind when I write.

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  3. Valentina Hepburn9 August 2011 at 10:10

    When I'm working on a new idea I have to remind myself that it's only the first draft and it doesn't have to be perfect. I'm a bit of a picker and I keep going back to change things before I've moved on.
    I also keep a little notebook with me. I always seem to think of something (brilliant?) at the most inconvenient time so if I can, I just note it down so I don't forget. I've got a terrible memory!

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  4. Unknown13 August 2011 at 19:51

    I think it's good to have a bit of free writing time every now and then to keep your brain exercised (if that even makes sense). But when I have another great idea while I'm working on my WIP I get it down in my notebook. The whole idea, quick character ideas and whatnot, and then move on. It'll still be there when I'm done :)

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  5. laughingwolf14 August 2011 at 20:32

    just write, no matter what... ALL writing is practice for when you get back to the book you're working on :)

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  6. Theresa15 August 2011 at 14:56

    Thanks, guys! I like your advice. I think kepping writing no matter what is the important thing.

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  7. Misha Gerrick16 August 2011 at 16:16

    Hi friend! Just wanted to let you know that you have an award on my blog. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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